Index-cutter



(No Model.) 'i 2-'etsf-'Sheet 2f v 4 F. C.- MEHNERT.'

INDEX GUTTER.

No.- 550,519. m1155555 Nov. '25, 1895."

AN DREW E GRANANL PHOTO'LITIQWASHINGTUMD C l M. 70 o l nuluuulnuuu%%nl UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK C. MEHNERT, OF GOSHEN, INDIANA.

IN DEX-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,519, dated November 26, 1895. Application filed July 17, 1894. Serial No. 517,799. (No model.)

that class of devices which are used in cutting the index sheets or leaves of books; and the object of my invention is to produce an apparatus of this kind which is simple in construction, is easily operated by a comparatively inexperienced person, and is adapted to cut the index-sheets with great precision and rapidity.

To these ends my invention consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the top 'portion of the machine embodying my invention, the guide-plate being removed. Fig.2 is a broken front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. t is a detail sectional view showing the lever mechanism for holding the feed out of gear. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the machine;

and Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5, the guide-plate being removed.

The machine is provided withV a table 10, which is mounted on a standard 11, preferably hollow, and this is supported on legs 12 of a suitable kind, and the table is on its front side and on the top providedwith a groove 13, which has no function in connection with the present invention, but which adapts the table for use in connection with other devices operated by the shaft 14.,.which is arranged vertically behind the standard 11 and is adapted to reciprocate in the table,

through which it projects, the shaft beingl provided with a collar 15 to limit itsupward movement, and it is normally pressed upward by a spiral spring 16,-which encircles it, and by a spring 17, which is secured to a hook 18,

fastened to a collar on the shaft and to theV n against the said die, the knife being held in table above. Y Y

- The shaft 14 is provided with a guide-arm 19, which projects through a slot in the standard 11, and the shaft has an adjustable connection by means of a screw 2O with a stirrup 21, which engages the treadle 22, which is fulcrumed on one of the legs 12, and the treadle projects forward through a loop 23, in the top of which is a hand-screw 24, and by adjust ing this hand-screw the movement of the treadle may be limited. Secured to the top of the shaft 14, as best shown in Fig.` 3, is a cutterhead 25,v which has a back plate 26 with forwardly-projecting arms 27 at one end and with forwardly-projecting parallel top arms 28, (see Fig. 3,) the arms 27 serving as a support for the pintle 29, by which the cutterbar 30 is hinged to the head, and the arms 28 serve as guides for the cutter-bar, as will appear presently.

' The knife-bar 30 is provided with a knife 31, which extends the full length of the bar and projects below the edge thereof, the knife being bent rearward at one end, as shown best at 32 in Fig. 5, and thus the knife is adapted to cut a strip from one edge of a leaf, while the bent end 32 severs the strip and leaves a portion of the leaf projecting, so that the index-letters may be placed thereon in the usual way. On the back of the knifebar is a guide-rod33, which projects through the plate 26 of the cutter-head, and on this rod is a spiral spring 34., which serves as a buffer-spring and gives the necessary tension to the knife. The knife-bar has notches 35 in its upper edge to receive the arms 28 of the cutter-head, and the arms thus serve to guide the knife and they also act as braces to give the necessary rigidity to the knife and bar when the cutter-head is moved downward to cut the paper. Beneath the knife-bar is a bearing board or die 36, on which the leaves lie which are to be'cut by the knife, as shown in Fig. 3, and this die or board is bent rearwardly at one end, as shown at 37 in Fig. *5, to correspond to the shape of the knife, and lit is supported by legs 38, which are secured to the base-plate 39, which is detachably secured to the table 10. When the cutter-head is in the elevated position, the front end of the knife points a little over the bearing board or die, while the rear end of the knife rests this position by the buffer-spring 34. Vhen IOO the cutter-head is moved downward te cut the paper, the knife follows the edge of the bearing board or die, and in so doing will be made to swing back slightly against the tension of the buffer-spring. This movement of the knife is necessary to insure a clean cut, especially on thin paper. Just behind the knife and bearing board or die is a guideplate 40, against which the leaves to be cut are placed, this being supported by rods or bolts 4l., connected to the plate 26 of the cutter-head. 3y adjusting this guide-plate or gage strips of different widths may be cut. In front of the knife and just above the die 36 is a presser-foot 42, which is adapted to spring downward upon the leaves to be cut and hold them in place, this presser-foot having upwardly-extending guide-rods 43, which project loosely through the arms 2S of the cutter-head, and around the rods are springs 44, which press the presser-foot downward.

The book the leaves of which are to be cut is supported on an adjustable platform 45, comprising the upper and lower plates 46 and 47, (see Fig. 6,) which are connected together byswin ging braces 48, hinged at their top and bottom to the said plates, and the lower plate has on its front edge toggle-levers 49, (see Fig.' 2,) the elbow of which is adapted to strike the top plate 46 of the platform, and one of these levers is slotted at its lower end, as shown at 50, and is bound in place by a thumb-screw 5l. The hinged braces 4S swing up and down as the upper plate of the platform is raised and lowered, the upper and lower plates of the platform always remaining parallel with each other. It will thus be seen that by adjusting these toggle-levers the height of the platform may be regulated to adapt it for varying thicknesses of books.

The top plate 4G of the platform has at one end and on the back edge a guide-flange 52, against which the top and side edges of the leaves are placed, and an angular gage-plate 53 is held on the top plate near the opposite end from the end fiange 52, this gage-plate being adjustable to suit the leaves of different lengths, and it is connected to a tongue 54, which extends longitudinally beneath the top plate 46 by a pin 55, which slides in the slot 56 in the plate 46.

It will be seen that by laying the book to be cut on the platform, as shown in Fig. G, the leaves may be placed on the die 36, as shown in Fig. 3, and beneath the presser-foot 42, and then, by stepping on the treadle 22, the shaft 14 and cutter-head 25 are pulled down and the knife 3l cuts the leaf or leaves which are beneath it. To enable the platform to be automatically fed lengthwise, so as to bring the successive leaves to be cut into a proper position in relation to the knife, it is arranged to slide freely and has on its front edge a rack 57, which slides in a guiderail 58 on the table top, and the rack is engaged by a pawl 59, which consists of a series of parallel independent plates, as shown clearly in Fig. 5, so that one of the plates is sure to drop into engagement with a tooth of the rack, and thus the rack and platform are sure to be accurately moved.

The pawl 59 is carried on the lower end of long crank-arm 60, which is secured to a transverse shaft 6l, which is journaled in a bracket 62, secured to one end of the die or bearing-board 36, and the swing of the crankarm and movement of the pawl are limited by a set-screw 63 in an arm 64, which is arrangedV behind the crank-arm GO and is secured to the bracket 62. On the rear end of the shaft 6l is a second crank-arm 65, which is almost at right angles to the arm 60, and this rides on a'rearwardly-projecting pin 66 of the cutter-head 25, as shown clearly in Fig. 5, and when the cutter-head descends to cut the leaves the arm 65 follows it, and the arm and pawl 59 swing to the right above the rack 57, and on the upstroke of the cutterhead the pin 66 limits the arm 65, and so swings the arm 60 and pawl 59 to the left, and the latter, engaging the rack 57, moves the rack and the book-platform 45, so as to advance the book the proper distance to bring the next series of leaves into the correct position in relation to the knife.

lf it is desired to move the book by hand or to throw the feed out of gear for any reason, it may be done by a lever 67, which is pivoted on the bracket G2 and is provided with a shoulder 68, (see Fig. 4,) adapted to swing beneath the crank-arm and thus, by adjusting the lever, the crank-arm may be prevented from swinging, and hence the rack 57 and platform will not be actuated.

It will be seen that the entire apparatus above the table 10 may be conveniently detached, so that other devices may be applied to the shaft 14, and as these form no part of the present invention it is, of course, unnecessary to describe them.

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-m 1. An index cutter, comprising avertically reciprocating shaft, a cutter head secured to the shaft, a swinging knife bar carried by the cutter head, a knife secured to the bar, and a die or bearing board beneath the knife, substantially as described.

2. An index` cutter, comprisingavertically reciprocating shaft, a cutter head carried thereby, a horizontally swinging knife bar carried by the cutter head, a knife provided with a bent end secured to the cutter bar, a bearing beneath the knife edge, and a buffer spring behind the knife, substantially as described.

8. An index cutter, comprising avertically reciprocating shaft, a cutter head. carried thereby, a knife bar hinged to the cutter head to swing horizontally, guides and braces for the knife bar, a knife secured to the bar, a

IOO

IIO

guide beneath the knife, and a presser foot in front of the knife, substantially as described.

4. The combination, of the vertically reciprocating cutter head, the swinging knife bar hinged to the cutter head, the die beneath the head and the guide plate behind the knife, substantially as described.

5. The combination, of the vertically reciprocating cutter head, a swinging knife carried by the cutter head, a die arranged beneath the knife, anda presser foot held in front of the knifeand above the die, substantially as described.

G. The combination with the table and the cutter head, of the platform comprising upper and lower plates connected by hinged braces, toggle levers secured to the lower plate at one end thereof, the elbow of ysaid toggle levers being adapted to engage the upper plate to adjust the same, one of the said levers being slotted at its lower end and a thumb screw for holding said lever in position, substantially as described.

7. The combination with the table, and the reciprocating cutter head above it, of the vertically adjustable platform comprising upper and lower plates connected by hinged braces, guide flanges on the upper plate, a longitudinally adjustable gage on the upper plate and toggle levers arranged on the front end of the lower plate and adapted to engage the top plate of the platform to regulate the distance between the plates, substantially as described.

8. The combination with the table, the vertically reciprocating cutter head above it, and the book holding platform, of the rack secured to the platform, the guide rail for the rack, a crank shaft actuated by the reciprocation of the cutter head, a pawl and crank connection between the crank shaft and the rack, and means for limiting the movement of the crank shaft, substantiallyas described.

9. The combination with the table, the vertically reciprocating cutter head above it, and the book holding platform, of a rack secured to the platform, a guide rail for the rack, a

transverse shaft journaled in a suitable support, a crank arm at one end of the shaft, a pawl on the crank arm to engage the rack, a second crank arm on the shaft, a stud on the cutter head for moving the second crank arm, and a set screw for limiting the swing of the first crank arm and the movement of the pawl connected thereto, substantially as described.

10. The combination with the table, the reciprocating cutter head, the movable platform on the table carrying the rack, and the pawl engaging said rack, of the transverse shaft having a crank arm at one end carrying the said pawl, a second crank arm on the opposite end of the shaft adapted to be raised and lowered by the movement of the cutter head, and a lever adapted to engage the said second crank arm to throw the feed mechanism in and out of gear, substantially as described.

FREDERICK C. MEHNERT. Witnesses:

MART V. STARR, FRANK D. YALRIAN. 

